Stacking fixture for presses



Sept. 12, 1939. F. J. MINKEL STACKING FIXTURE FOR PRESSES Filed May 24,1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Fran/(J lV/fl// Q @h ATTORNEY Sept. 12,1939. F. J. MINKEL 2,173,077

STACKING FIXTURE FOR PRESSES Filed May 24, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR Fmn/(JM/n/(e/ ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 12, 1939 PATENT OFFICESTAOKING FIXTURE FOR PRESSES Frank J. Minkel, Buffalo, N, Y., assignor tFedders Manufacturing Company, Inc., Bufialo,

Application May 24, 1938', Serial No. 209,750

Claims.

This invention relates to stacking or receiving fixtures for use withhigh speed presses.

In many production lines it is greatly advantageous that stampings bedelivered from high speed presses in orderly array, so that subsequentoperations may be performed without the necessity of an additionalarrangement operation. Die and press design often interferes with theprovision of dependable stackers, and, especially in cases where thework is sheared rather than blanked, difficulty arises in capturing theblanks in orderly fashion.

In the present invention there is provided a stacking fixture which maybe applied to the delivery end of a press without the necessity ofaltering the bolster or ram of the press, and with but slight alterationto the die structure. The fixture is devised to receive the blanks asthey leave the dies, and with the aid of the weight of the blanks andthe delivery impulse of the dies, to deliver the blanks into a removablemagazine.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a press adapted for continuous operation andhaving the stacking fixture of the invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the fixture on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a top view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 3 on a further enlargedscale;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross section on the line 55 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on the line 6-5 of Fig. 3.

For purposes of illustration, the stacking fixture is shown organizedwith a press I!) containing a die unit D which forms fins F out of stripmaterial S. In the enlarged view (Fig. 4) there is shown a shear portionof the die unit which consists of blocks [2 and I3, the former of whichis carried by the ram of the press and is movable therewith. The sheetmaterial is formed with flanged holes H in the die unit, and, as itintermittently emerges therefrom it is sheared by the blocks into finsF. Since this type of press operation is extremely well known in theart, a more detailed description thereof is not deemed necessary.

The fixture is disposed on the delivery side of the press P to receivethe fins F from the blocks [2 and I3 and to stack the fins so that theymay be periodically conveyed to assembling machines or other destinationin orderly arrangement. The fixture includes an angularly disposed tablel6 which is formed with an arcuate end portion I1 disposed beneath theshear blocks and supported by the press. The remaining end of the tableis supported on suitable pedestals 18.

A pair of rods 20 is carried in parallel relation to the table, and theyhave curved terminals 21 5 which are pointed and reduced in diameter.The rods are spaced so that the terminals directly underlie two of thefin holes of the portion of the sheet material which projects from thedies. As the press closes and this portion is sheared off by the blocksl2, l3, it is also thrust downward to engage upon the rods 20. The uppershear block [2 has a plate 22 attached to it, and its lower face 22aacts as a thrust surface for engaging the fins F. This member carriesspaced pilots or bushings 23 which are formed with projecting shoulderportions 24 which enter the flanged holes of the fin to anchor itagainst lateral displacement during the shearing operation. The bores23a of the bushings receive the pointecl'20 ends of the rod terminals 2iduring each stroke of the press.

As the fins slide down the rods they are guided between rails 25 whichare secured to the surface of the table (Fig. 3). The rods 2!; areflattened '25 near their right hand extremity, and such flattenedportions 26 are received in slotted yokes 2'! which thus position therods against either axial or rotary movement. A second pair of rods isformed with shouldered terminals 30a which fit 30 in sockets 29 in therods 20 to provide a detachable joint structure. The right handextremities of the rods 30 are secured to a handle 3| which in turn issupported against a shoulder 32 on the table It. The central portions ofthe rods 30 35 are formed with flattened portions 33, as in the case ofthe rods 20, and they are received in a second pair of notched yokes 21.

Each pair of yokes 21 projects vertically through openings 34 in thetable [6, and the yokes extend between spaced transverse angles 36, 31which are secured to the bottom of the table (Figs. 2 and 5). One angle36 of each pair is vertically notched, as indicated by the numeral 38,to provide vertical guides for the yokes 21, while the other angle isshouldered for its entire length to provide a transverse guide 39 for acam strap 40. Each cam strap contains angular cam slots 42 whichterminate in a horizontal dwell portion 43. The yokes 21 each carry apin 44 which engages in a cam slot.

Referring to Fig. 5, it will be seen that when the cam straps 40 aremoved to their extreme retracted position, the pins 44 of the yokes 21engage in the dwell portions 43 of the cam slots,

and thus the yokes are locked in their normal elevated position.

During the operation of the press, the fins are intermittently appliedto the rods 20, and, as they slide down the curved terminals 21 thereof,they are guided against lateral displacement by engaging between therails 25. When the section of the table between the press and the firstset of yokes becomes filled with fins, the first pair or yokes islowered by moving the cam strap 40 outward to permit the fins to bemoved to the next section of the table. The yokes are then restored andthe operation of the press resumed to refill the first section of thetable, whereupon both pairs of yokes are retracted and a majority of thefins are moved onto the rods 30. The operator then removes the rods 30and the fins thereon by lifting the handle 3| from its supportingshoulder 32 (dotted lines Fig. 2) and detaching the rods 30 from therods 20. The rods 39 and attached handle 3! thus serve as a removablemagazine wherein groups of fins are periodically removed from the presstable. A number of such magazines or rod units may be supplied, so thatas filled magazines are removed an empty magazine may be fitted in placeto permit immediate resumption of press operation.

It is not intended that the invention be construed as being limited touse with fins or stampings of the general shape of the fins hereinillustrated, as it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that therod type of stacking fixture may be modified in form to receive Varioustypes and shapes of perforate stampings without departing from theinventive concept.

I claim:

1. The combination with a press for producing perforate blanks, of astacking fixture comprising a table having one end disposed on the pressadjacent the delivery end thereof, a rod, means on the table forsupporting the rod at spaced intervals, said rod having a terminalportion disposed to receive blanks from the press, said supporting meansbeing removable through said table to permit the blanks to be movedalong said rod.

2. The combination with a press for producing perforate blanks, of astacking fixture comprising a table having one end secured to the press,a pair of rods having bent terminal portions entering the delivery endof the press, yokes extending through the table and adapted to supportthe rods in parallelism to the table, a mechanism on the table connectedto the yokes and operable to lower the yokes and thereby to leave thetable unobstructed for the passage of fins along said rods, and meansassociated with the press for engaging the blanks and directing themonto the terminals of said rods.

3. The combination with a press having die means for producing perforateblanks and including a shearing die, of a stacking fixture comprising atable having one end secured to the press, a pair of rods having bentterminal portions entering the delivery end of the press, means on thetable for supporting the rods in parallelism to the table, a platesecured to movable portions of the press adjacent the shearing die, saidplate having tubular pilots for engaging perforate portions of theblanks during the shearing operation, said pilots during each stroke ofthe press engaging over the terminals of the rods to deliver a blankthereto.

l. The combination with a press for producing perforate blanks, of astacking fixture comprising a table having one end secured to the press,a pair of rods having at one end bent terminals entering the deliveryend of the press and being connected to a handle at their opposite ends,said rods being each formed of two jointed sections, said sections ofthe rods secured to the handle constituting a removable magazine, meanson the table for supporting the rod sections, and a socket on the tablefor removably receiving said handle.

5. The combination with a press for producing perforate blanks, of astacking fixture comprising a table having one end secured to the press,a pair of rods having bent terminal portions entering the delivery endof the press, means on the table for supporting the rods in parallelismto said table, a magazine comprising a second pair of rods removablyjoined at one extremity to the first rods and connected to a handle attheir opposite extremity, means on the table for removably receiving thehandle of the magazine, and means associated with the press for engagingthe blanks and directing them onto the terminals of said first rods.

FRANK J. MINKEL.

